Ex-Battlefield Dev David Goldfarb Says AAA Development Can Restrict Creativity

February 22, 2015Written by Zarmena Khan

Ex-Battlefield dev, David Goldfarb, has recently co-founded a new studio called The Outsiders, and he is already working on his next game. Recently, he sat down with GamesIndustry.biz for an interview in which he discussed his move, and he certainly seemed a bit tired of the AAA video game development scene.

“It’s not like someone was standing over me saying ‘You can’t make this!’ he said. “But you’re never in a vacuum; for the most part you’re at the mercy of whatever is in play at the studio.”

Goldfarb has said that AAA development can restrict creativity, and big budgets are partly to blame.

I think the risk/reward for the companies that can spend the marketing money and that have big successful franchises, for them it’s still worth laying out that investment. But for people who don’t have that kind of capital, you’re not really in a practical success loop. AAA is the equivalent of the One Percent right now. It comes with all these caveats. You can’t make the crazy stuff really.

Goldfarb joins the growing list of industry professionals who’ve been making similar comments about AAA development lately. Avalanche Studios’ Christofer Sundberg has previously said that AAA development is in an unhealthy state, and even Metal Gear Solid developer Hideo Kojima has said that big budgets can stifle creativity.

What do our readers think is an appropriate way forward for AAA development, then? Any ideas?